People Story | Emma Summers | Business Support Assistant
View Emma's story here
“I had a varied career before entering healthcare”
When I was at school, my ambition was to work with children but after college I started working in a hotel one Friday night and ended up staying there for 6 years, working my way up to duty manager. In 2003 I opted to change to a career in retail and worked for House of Fraser for 10 years, completing a management course and was manager of the men’s and ladieswear floors. I then held store manager positions at USC and Claire’s
Accessories for 5 years.
“I couldn’t think of a more perfect job for me”
If I had to write a list of all the different aspects in a job I loved, this would be it. I like the fact that the role is so varied and every day is different. I hadn’t done this
type of job before but I’m a keen learner with a massive willingness to learn. I like being a sponge and absorbing everything and then putting what I’ve learnt into action.
“I joined DMC Healthcare on 1 December 2020”
The recruitment role was my first insight into healthcare and I’d also cared for my elderly grandfather. So I applied for a Business Support Assistant position with DMC Healthcare and was successful.
“I love helping people”
I like to be someone who is contributing to change and love that we are all working towards the same goal of providing an outstanding service for our patients and our colleagues – we’re all one team.
I’m grateful to DMC for giving me the opportunity to do this role as I’ve not had much experience in health. However my customer service experience and communication skills have proven strong assets. I’m based at home, but we do have regular trips to head office to support with various tasks.
“I’ve learnt so many new skills and been really supported by everyone in the business”
I call them my “Emma questions” as I’m always asking questions and feel really comfortable to ask as that’s how the team has made me feel.
“Praise and recognition is brilliant”
I received a really nice welcome card when I first started. It’s recognised when you’ve done something good – a thank you goes a long way
“I love the flexibility at DMC”
When I worked in retail, none of my weekends were free and holidays were restricted but now I soak up every minute I can get with family and friends and when I had my first Christmas off in 16 years, my husband and I celebrated by travelling to New York. My team were the priority for years and it’s nice to have it the other way round.
“I’m proud of my achievements”
I’m proud of what I’ve learnt. Here’s a flavour of the kind of projects I’m involved in:
• Creating the vision and “Trust” values. It’s so important for everyone to come together and be involved.
• DMC’s first charity event where we raised over £3000 for Mind UK.
• I’ve had an involvement in every aspect of the organisation whether it’s radiology, endoscopy, dermatology, primary care or at Board level.
• I organise the external meetings and produce the minutes.
• I’ve produced newsletters to communicate to internal teams.
• Various compliance work such as making sure mandatory training is compliant.
• Involved in HR, moving from paper files to electronic.
• Coding and scanning documents onto Docman.
My advice to others with good customer service skills?
I’d say bring the skills you have gained in your past and just be yourself. No matter what industry you’re in, customer service is customer service. You can bring that skill set into the healthcare setting.
"What about the future?"
I’d like to develop to a more senior role and attend various courses that will help improve my skill set.
"How would you sum up DMC?"
I’m thoroughly enjoying working for DMC and enjoy being part of the team and contributing to the one goal we are all aiming for – to provide an outstanding experience for our patients and for us all to deliver the Trust values.
“My skill set has gone from 10% from when I started to one million % now!”
Knowledge is a massive thing for me and I’m learning about all aspects of the healthcare sector.
